"If this sounds inspiring, it is, and I say that as someone who is constitutionally suspicious of any triumphing of the human spirit on film. But 15 Reasons is a documentary, with that form’s inherent immediacy and humility. It homes in on small, human profundities."

Quill & Quirealso ran an interview with Zweig yesterday, where he talks (amongst other things) about what it was like adapting essays into film. Last but not least, if you're in the T-dot, be sure to look for 15 Reasons to Live at these three venues:

Thursday, April 25, 2013

On Wednesday, May 24th, Biblioasis author Anakana Schofieldwas the proud
recipient of the

Amazon.ca First Novel Award for Malarky. “Malarky is a bold first novel from
an author whose prose hums with electric wit and linguistic daring,” said
Stuart Woods, head judge and editor of Quill & Quire magazine. “The
novel traverses darkly comic territory with intelligence and poise, relating
the story of an unnamed narrator whose resilience in the face of life’s
disappointments will stay with readers long after the verbal pyrotechnics have
dissipated. Anakana Schofield is a true original, and her novel is a delight.”

As the
award-winner Ms. Schofield will receive a $7,500.00 prize. She also appeared on
CTV’s Canada AM, the most widely watched national morning show in the country.

Biblioasis would also like to extend warm congratulations to all finalists for the award: Marjorie Celona (Y), Scott Fotheringham (The Rest is Silence), Pasha Malla (People Park), and Kim Thúy (Ru).

Anakana
Schofield is an Irish-Canadian writer of fiction, essays, and literary
criticism. She has contributed to the London Review of Books, The
Recorder: The Journal of the American Irish Historical Society, The Globe
and Mail, and The Vancouver Sun. She has lived in London and Dublin,
and now resides in Vancouver. Her first novel, Malarky, was published by
Biblioasis in 2012, and is scheduled for UK release by OneWorld in 2013.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Hey, folks, and happy Monday. Just a quick mention of the two smashing reviews that have come in

for Nancy Jo Cullen's Canary (which, as you probably all know, is launching TOMORROW at Another Story Bookshop). The first from The Globe & Mail, the second from The Winnipeg Review. Enjoy, and see you tomorrow!

THE-UP-FOR-GRABS WORLD OF NANCY JO CULLEN'S CANARY

"The tawdry lower middle-class milieu of these stories, heavy with drinking and marital strife, calls to mind Raymond Carver, but Cullen’s stories have an open-ended resiliency very different than the sombre American master ... A taken-for-granted sexual transiency is the most strikingly contemporary feature of these stories; if it were written a decade ago the fact that many of the characters are gay, lesbian or bisexual would be seen as a political statement. But in Canary the sexuality of the characters doesn’t define their identity, and is in fact often as transitory and up-for-grabs as every other aspect of their unsettled lives. The quietly radical assumption implicit in the book is that sex isn’t a matter of fixed identity but of opportunistic action ... in story after story Cullen won me over. Their people and situations rang close to life ... Cullen deserves all the acclaim she’s going to receive."

CANARY, BY NANCY JO CULLEN

"Consider your most embarrassing moment, suffered because of your family or not. Go on, dredge up that ineradicable instant of humiliation when you were a child, adolescent or young adult, it doesn’t matter what happened, when or where. Nancy Jo Cullen has you beat. The denizens of Canary, her first book of fiction, have soared, crashed, relocated, compromised, given up and started over more often than most of us. This collection is very good … there is plenty here to satisfy, the narrative arc running high and long ... robust, with a wide, compassionate embrace."

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The sun was pouring into the bookshop yesterday and beckoning me out of the back office into the front of the shop to enjoy a little bit of vitamin D. That also meant I had some time to look around for content for the next installment of our Book Spotting series, where I provide commentary and praise for the best book designs currently in store.

Andy Warhol Screen Tests by Callie Angell (Harry N. Abrams 2006)

Today, I'll start with a book that I've been meaning to talk about for
months now. Ever since it first came in (it is a used copy), it struck
me as a powerful cover. I put it on display almost immediately.
Obviously, the photograph itself is quite engaging, with the direct eye
contact and stark black and white. For this reason, the simplicity of
the rest of the cover really works. The red provides a strong contrast
and the clean block text is clear and bold but doesn't compete with the
photograph for the viewer's attention. Plus, there's tonnes of the red
equivalent of white space, and we all know how much I like white space.

John Saturnall's Feast by Lawrence Norfolk (Bloomsbury UK 2012)

Sorry for the slightly blurry photo on this one. Clearly I was just too excited about the cover and couldn't keep my hands still. This cover at first glance seems to be the opposite of what I usually praise: minimal, clean, stark. The winding branches of the tree, the detail in the grasses, and even the throw-back style of the lettering, which has a slightly eroded look, should contribute to this cover feeling overwhelming and over the top, but it doesn't. The black and white saves it. High contrast silhouettes on a plain white background take this cover from distracting and confusing to crisp, clean and eye-catching.

First Novel by Nicholas Royle (Jonathan Cape 2013)

This book just arrived and it grabbed my attention as soon as I walked out into the shop yesterday. I'm a fan of books that find unusual ways to incorporate the title on the cover but I find that they can often get confusing or difficult to decipher. This cover escapes that trap by ensuring that the only major text on the cover is the title and the author's name. In fact, we get the title and author's name six times over. However, at first glance, my reaction was to wonder where the title was. That half-second hesitation drew me into the cover, into its clever and meta use of book spines. The car and plane infiltrating the line of spines gives the cover personality despite the plain serif type on the spines that lend it clarity.

incitements by Sean Howard (Gaspereau 2011)

More beautiful books, as expected, from Gaspereau. This one actually reminds me of a chapbook I designed for a creative writing class while at university. What happens to letter forms when you overlap them? They become less about letters and more about the letter forms. Sure, if you look closely, you can read the title, incitements, in the graphic on the cover. However, it seems less important that you can read the title and more important that the use of lettering is visually interesting. Yes, the title is the most important thing on a book cover (most of the time?) and I am all for legibility, but if you are going to have a difficult to decipher title, this is the way to do it: making the letters themselves the art. Plus, you've got a title page for anyone who gets too confused, right?

That's all for today's adventures in Book Spotting. More to come soon!

Friday, April 05, 2013

It always feels good to brag about the positive reviews Biblioasis authors are getting, and this afternoon we have lots to boast about.

Both Nadine McInnis and Robert Melançon have been in the news lately, picking up reviews from The Literary Review of Canada and The Montreal Review of Books respectively.

Here's a sample of what these publications are saying about these recent books:

"[With] lean and lyrical language...and arresting images…Blood Secrets is a deceptively gentle book, a desperately tender succession of tales that bruise the heart with their sadness, while at the same time offering the salve of kindness". — Literary Review of Canada

"One hundred forty-four poems of acute observation: Melançon's invention is impressive. Judith Cowan's rendering of the poet's work into English is adroit and fully idiomatic."— The Montreal Review of Books

The 2011 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Prize is worth €25,000 to the winning author of a collection of short stories published for the first time, in English anywhere in the world, between July 2011 and June 2012 (selecteds, collecteds or books containing stories published in a previous volume of stories by the author will not be eligible). Translations are eligible.

This prestigious international short story award in the memory of Frank O’Connor is the single biggest prize in the world for a collection of short stories.

In honouring Cork’s literary genius and its most famous short story writer, it is hoped this award will achieve international recognition for the short story and highlight Cork’s important contribution to this literary art form.

This major international prize celebrating the city’s intimate relationship with the short story was established as part of the literary programme of Cork’s tenure as European Capital of Culture. Since then it has made possible through the generous support of Cork City Council.

It is hoped the Award, for a complete collection of previously unpublished stories in a book collection, will play a significant role in establishing parity of esteem for the short story collection alongside the novel.

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

We've been working hard here at Biblioasis getting everything ready for our Poetry Month Celebration tomorrow night. There'll be food, drink, three fantastic poets and brand new work from all three!

Join Sal Ala, Robert Melançon and Jessica Hiemstra at Biblioasis (1520 Wyandotte St. E., Windsor) at 7pm tomorrow night as we mark National Poetry Month with readings, socialization and general good literary fun.

Acclaimed local poet Sal Ala will have two new limited-edition broadsides available (sneak preview here!). We'll also be holding the Windsor launch of Robert's latest book For As Far As The Eye Can See, and Jessica's Self-Portrait Without a Bicycle, so there will be lots of new poetry to get your hands on.

One of the two new broadsides from Sal Ala available tomorrow night

"My America," the second limited-edition Sal Ala broadside available at Biblioasis

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Some good news for Malarky author Anakana Schofield: along with nods from the Amazon.ca First Novel Award and the B.C. Book Prize, Malarky has been nominated for the CBC Bookie Awards.

Anakana is up against Terry Fallis, Lynn Crosby, Linda Svendsen, and Miranda Hill for the Ron MacLean Award for Most Hilarious/Witty Canadian Book. The award is decided by the public so make sure that you show your support! You can vote for Malarky here.